A recent study found that one in five dementia cases could be tied to vision impairment, suggesting that better eye health could help lower an older adult’s risk of dementia.
According to the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 19% of dementia cases were tied to at least one impairment of vision, with an elevated risk among study participants between the ages of 71 and 79.
Researchers collected data from over 2,700 older adults in the U.S. over the age of 65 in 2021, with participants undergoing cognitive exams and three visual impairment tests measuring the ability to view close objects, long-range objects, and the ability to view contrasted outlines of smaller objects.
“The total contribution of late-life vision impairment to dementia may be substantial and warrants further examination to inform dementia prevention strategies,” the study found.
The rate of dementia and eye impairment was also higher among non-Hispanic white older adults, but the study noted that the findings can’t definitively prove a “cause-and-effect relationship” between dementia and eye impairment, although “the total contribution of late-life vision impairment to dementia may be substantial.”
Roughly 5% of dementia cases were tied to vision impairment for distance tests, 10% for close-range object tests, and 15% in the contrast tests.
Another study, published in January, found that 94% of older adults living with a rare vision condition known as posterior cortical atrophy or Benson’s syndrome also showed signs of Alzheimer’s disease, according to University of California-San Francisco researchers. In August of last year, a study conducted by the University of Michigan found that dementia was more common in older adults with vision issues.
